Tag Archives: comfort

That's Entertainment: Wiggo steals the show from Weller as he joins him onstage in Crisis Christmas Concert

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UPDATED:

14:04 GMT, 21 December 2012

Bradley Wiggins gave us plenty of entertaining sporting moments in 2012, but on Thursday night he was providing entertainment of a different kind.

The BBC Sports Personality winner surprised fans at the Paul Weller Crisis Christmas Concert when he joined the singer onstage for a roof-raising performance of That's Entertainment at the Hammersmith Apollo.

The cycling superstar is already known for liking the odd impromotu performance. He leapt up on stage after the Sports Personality of the Year award to give party-goers a rendition of the same song.

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Firm friends: the pair have recorded a radio program together, set to air on Boxing Day

Mod-rocker: It's not the first time Wiggins has given the song a go – he also treated party-goers to a performance after SPOTY

He stuck to his comfort zone behind Weller, strumming away on a red guitar in the background and only briefly making his way forward to the microphone to add some backing vocals.

Wiggins is known to be a fan of the singer, and the two have become firm friends.

They have even recorded a program together for BBC Radio 6 Music, called When Bradley Wiggins Met Paul Weller, which will be aired on Boxing Day.

Wiggins entertained guests at the BBC's aftershow party after picking up his Sports Personality gong, too.

I had nothing better to do, admits jungle king Haye (what about a rematch with Wladimir, who eased to another victory on Saturday)

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UPDATED:

11:39 GMT, 12 November 2012

David Haye has admitted he had nothing better to do this month – so agreed to appear on I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!

The former heavyweight champion of the world is in the jungle in Australia along with the likes of former Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan and darts star Eric Bristow.

But while Haye is tackling Bushtucker trials, his old foe Wladimir Klitschko was defending his titles against Pole Mariusz Wach in Hamburg.

Trial by TV: David Haye experienced his first Bushtucker trials in the jungle

'I’ve been asked to do reality television shows many times in the past, but have always turned them down without a second thought,' said the 32-year-old. 'This time round it was different, though. I had nothing planned for November and it all seemed to make sense.

'When I asked friends and family they all thought it would be interesting to see me taken out of my comfort zone and to see me squirm in the jungle for a few weeks. They didn’t think I would be able to hack life without the luxuries my sport has afforded me over the years

'This presented a challenge, and it was one I decided to accept. I’ve always been somebody eager to test myself and prove people wrong, and I figure that if I stick it out in the jungle for the duration, many people will be surprised.'

Meanwhile: Wladimir Klitschko defended his titles with a comfortable points victory in Germany

Haye, who was last in action when he knocked out Dereck Chisora at Upton Park in July, is also keen to open himself up to the British public.

'I’ve always been a very private person over the years and have never had any intention of letting my guard down, so this is the public’s first real opportunity to see the real me,' he admitted. 'I can’t be certain how people will take to me, but this is the chance to find out. And, in that sense, it’s a really interesting experiment.

'I’ve spent most of my life competing in an individual sport, so, admittedly, have never been much of a team player. The whole idea of mucking in and working as a team is something new to me and it is something I will have to get to grips with.

Soap star: Haye has been joined in the jungle by actress Helen Flanagan

'But rather than scare me, the idea excites me. I’m a very competitive person and I don’t like to lose, no matter what’s at stake.

'I can’t control whether people on the outside like me or not, or whether they choose to vote for me, but I can control how well I do in the challenges, and that is something I plan on doing.

'I’ve tested myself for years in the ring, often against boxers bigger than myself, so very few tasks tend to scare me. I definitely won’t be side-stepping any Bushtucker Trials in the jungle, or fainting if chosen to do one. I’ll take each trial in my stride and do my very best.'

Klitschko shows Wach no mercy as he hammers Pole to retain heavyweight titles

By
Mike Dawes

PUBLISHED:

23:18 GMT, 10 November 2012

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UPDATED:

23:47 GMT, 10 November 2012

Wladimir Klitschko retained his IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA super world heavyweight titles, although he survived a scare before recording a unanimous points decision over the durable Mariusz Wach in Hamburg.

Klitschko, fighting for the first time without the late revered trainer Manny Steward in his corner, landed at will for nearly five rounds but a huge right hand at the end of the fifth sent the champion reeling into the ropes.

The Ukrainian managed to survive and showed no lasting effects in the sixth before brutally stepping up his punishment of the previously unbeaten Wach.

The scores of 120-107, 120-107 and
119-109 reflected the near-complete domination Klitschko enjoyed in his
13th world title defence.

Tonight marked the first time Klitschko was fighting someone taller than him in the city where he made his professional debut.

However, the real talking point was
how he would fare in his first outing since the passing of Steward, who
died last month aged 68, with aspiring heavyweight contender Johnathon
Banks being appointed as Klitschko's new trainer – for the time being.

Klitschko showed his determination to
honour Steward tonight by landing several one-two combinations in the
first, with the pattern continuing in the second.

However, Wach attempted to spoil his opponent's work by tying Klitschko up.

The 36-year-old seemed to be in his comfort zone and continued to land the right hand at will in the fourth.

But in the fifth, the challenger
brought the crowd to its feet with an overhand right that sent Klitschko
into the ropes, although the Ukrainian showed his superior experience
by covering up and avoiding any further damage as Wach sloppily went in
for the kill.

But Klitschko, who has not been beaten
in eight years since being stopped by Lamon Brewster in 2004, did not
seem to be affected at the start of the sixth and landed a straight
right that temporarily stunned Wach.

Scare: Klitschko survived a huge right hand in the fifth round

Rocky Actor Sylvester Stallone was in Hamburg to watch the bout

The punishment continued in the
seventh and Klitschko looked to stop the fight with perhaps only the
bell preventing the champion from doing so, with Wach sent into the
ropes after yet another right hand.

Wach's lack of defence seemed to prove
his undoing and he came in for severe punishment in the eighth before
Klitschko settled into a rhythm in the ninth.

By the 10th Wach had marks over his
eyes and nose and his lack of head movement was giving Klitschko all the
encouragement he needed.

Wach did land another rare right in the 11th that opened up a cut on Klitschko's left eye but the champion closed strongly.

Bentley happy to swap Spurs for Russia… even with its tanks and snipers

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UPDATED:

21:09 GMT, 13 October 2012

Staring out the team coach to see
tanks, snipers and armed convoys isn't anything David Bentley
experienced with Arsenal, Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham and
England.

But having taken the decision to
'leave the comfort zone' and become the first English player to move to
the Russian Premier League, Bentley hasn’t been disappointed so far by
his adventures two thousand miles away with FK Rostov.

Pioneer: David Bentley is enjoying life at Rostov

Last weekend, while Spurs were enjoying a comfortable 2-0 victory against Aston Villa at White Hart Lane, Bentley and his new team-mates endured one of the more daunting fixtures in the European football calendar, Terek Grozny away.

It involved a trip to a trip to the capital of Chechnya, a region unfortunately reduced to ruins by years of war between local separatists and Russian forces.

Not surprisingly, security was tight and the itinerary planned to the minutest detail.

'It was definitely something I've not experienced before,' said Bentley, speaking on a brief return to England this week to see his wife and three-year-old daughter.

'We flew into Chechnya just 45 minutes before kick off, went to the stadium, ran out the tunnel, played the game and then turned back to the airport.

'The coach ride in was something else. There were tanks on the street, army snipers at every cross-section and a four-car convoy surrounding the team coach to make sure we were OK.

'I enjoyed it in a strange way. I knew they were there to protect us and keep us safe. Being a London boy who hadn't seen anything like that, I just found myself staring out the window in amazement. I have a much better appreciation for my own country now. We really don't realise how lucky we are.'

Back in action: Bentley is happy to be playing again

Compared to some transfers in the last window, Bentley's switch was so low-profile he may as well have travelled to Rostov under the radar for his three-month loan from Spurs.

The publicity that surrounded his record 17million move from Blackburn to Spurs in 2008 when he was seen as an heir apparent to David Beckham in looks and ability has long gone.

The player is happy though just to have the chance to play again after a serious knee injury last year that kept him out for 12 months.

So far he has completed four full games in the competitive Russian league with big-hitters Lokomotiv Moscow featuring old Spurs pals Roman Pavlyuchenko and Vedran Corluka, and Zenit St Petersburg up next.

Living in Rostov-on-Don 700miles south of Moscow has also been a peaceful contrast to Chechnya.

'I've changed all my preconceptions about Russia. The weather has been beautiful, 80 degrees until now, and my hotel could be in any modern city. There are great restaurants and safety isn't a concern. I can walk around the centre at night feeling safer than I do in London,' explains Bentley.

'Admittedly, communication can be difficult. Most Russians haven't been taught English at school and they have a different alphabet. We think everyone will speak our language but that's not the case. I'm trying to learn a few words or Russian.

'It's a very forward-looking country – and big. It has everything from beaches to ski resorts, like America. One of our away games is a four-hour flight. Apparently there used to be a team nine hours away.'

Bentley has quickly settled into a routine. A chauffeur arrives at his hotel every morning to take him to training. Evenings are spent at a local Croatian fish restaurant with former Spurs team-mate Stipe Pletikosa or sampling the local borsch soup, made of beetroot, meat and vegetables.

Another familiar face is former Liverpool forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who played with Bentley at Blackburn.

On the pitch, Bentley accepts it will be tough for Rostov. They don't have the financial power of many Russian clubs, like Anzhi who are paying Samuel Eto'o 400,000-a-week. Rostov have won only one league game since Bentley's arrival and currently sit 12th in the 16-team league.

However it's been a terrific period of growth and discovery for a player whose impact at Spurs dwindled under Harry Redknapp despite scoring a wonder-volley against Arsenal in a 4-4 north London derby.

Redknapp didn't forgive Bentley for pouring a bucket of water over him to celebrate Champions League qualification and a subsequent loan spell at West Ham ended in disaster when Bentley played on despite knee cartilage problems and ended up missing nearly the whole of last season.

Now he's eyeing another chance in the Premier League, maybe even at Spurs under the new manager Andre Villas-Boas.

'I don't know what the future holds. Football can change so fast,' said Bentley.

'I respect Villas-Boas for taking the Spurs job. He had a tough time at Chelsea and Harry was always a difficult act to follow. But I think it might happen for them this year, whether I am part of that, I don't know.'

Bentley is aware his flash image in younger days might have counted against him when technically he is probably the best crosser of a ball that England have.

Mistakes have been owned up to including crowd-surfing at a Kings of Leon gig and more seriously banned from driving for a drink-driving offence.

'I thought I was James Dean in the day, now I have a family and it's put the handbrake on,' he admits candidly.

'You can't change your personality totally and I'll never be quiet but I used to have this thing in my head that I had to treat every day like it was my last. If I saw a cliff, I'd want to jump off it.

'My three-year-old has changed me. She wakes up like it's Christmas every day, and it's not just about me anymore.

'I think being a bit more boring would have helped me earlier in my career.

'I used to love players like Gazza and Eric Cantona for their personalities as much as what they could do with a football. But there is so much pressure in the game now, I don't think top players or managers have a laugh and joke any more. Whether that has improved the game or is killing the game, I don't know.'

The clash against Errani always looked like a mismatch, and so it proved. At only 5ft 4 1/2in and slight, Errani was giving away a huge amount of power to her opponent, and it told.

Williams won the first five games before the Italian finally got on the board, and that was only a minor delay before the fourth seed clinched the opening set after half an hour with a backhand winner.

It was her 18th winner in seven games compared to three from her opponent, and the pattern continued at the start of the second set.

Errani has had a brilliant season, reaching her first grand slam final at the French Open and establishing herself in the top 10, and she certainly was not about to give up.

Powerhouse: Williams set up a final with Victoria Azarenka at Flushing Meadows

Not quite there: Sara Errani threw everything at Williams but it wasn't enough

She won the third game of the second set to at least give herself hope, but that was fading fast as Williams extended her lead to 4-1.

Errani simply could do nothing to take the American out of her comfort zone and Williams set up match point with a crunching backhand winner down the line.

She missed that one and Errani doggedly held serve but the Italian had got nowhere near Williams' serve all match and the 30-year-old clinched victory with a second-serve ace, letting out a scream of delight.

Williams was the hot favourite to win the title before the tournament after her Wimbledon and Olympic success, and that has certainly not changed.

She has dropped only 19 games in six matches, and blasted 38 winners compared to only six from Errani.

Williams said: 'It's really awesome. This is what I wanted and what I dreamed of all year. I'm really happy, I'm in the final again, and I'm excited.'

Errani still has a chance of winning US Open silverware when she and fellow Italian Roberta Vinci take on Czech pair Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova in the women's doubles final.

Stars on show: The likes of Eva Longoria and WIll Ferrell attended the thrilling match

As always, it’s the hope that kills you. So it was at the Aquatics Centre on Monday when Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield were dominating the might of China.

For a few ecstatic minutes we dared to dream. Those first three dives on their list of six barely caused a ripple in the water. They caused a cacophony in the stands.

So near yet so far: Daley and Waterfield missed out on a medal

But they missed out on a medal because the glue came unstuck on their fourth dive – the so-called Big Front. Daley slightly under-rotated and Waterfield clearly over-rotated. They slipped from first place to fourth. It was a position from which they never budged, behind China, Mexico and America.

My view, having watched the pair prepare for the Olympics over the last two years, is that the Big Front turned out to be too much of gamble. They step up to the 10 metres fearful of it (hardly surprising to us vertigo-challenged mortals when you consider it is a forward four-and-a-half somersault with tuck – a fly-by-the-seats-of-your-Speedos dive).

The reason they do it is because in diving the degree of difficulty is factored into the score. It is a winner when executed successfully.

Alexei Evangulov, the performance
director, was greeted by blank faces when he suggested the pair should
add the Big Front to their list. ‘It was mad,’ said Daley, who thought
it literally impossible to accomplish.

Out of sync: The Big Front was just too much for the British pair

‘No,’ countered Evangulov, a former Russian champion. ‘I am telling you the world of diving is moving on and we cannot stay in our comfort zone. Look at the Chinese.’

Yes, the Chinese divers are setting new standards. They are bred in sports schools – funded automatons. But on Monday their gold medal pair, Yuan Cao and Yanquan Zhang, did not do the Big Front.

They instead performed clinically brilliant dives of almost similar difficulty and won the prize they all wanted. They were under pressure and did not flinch. Daley and Waterfield did. It was the opposite of what Daley had predicted.

In truth, despite the public profile
that has given Daley nearly half a million Twitter followers, a bronze
medal was all that could realistically be expected of them here. The
form book suggested as much. As for the gold, apart from the
expectations being briefly raised, it always belonged to a one-nation
fiefdom. Once the diving was over, the synchronisation was exemplary as
Daley and Waterfield faced the media with perfect choreography.

Exemplary: Both divers were disappointed and humble when they met the media

In Beijing four years ago, Daley and his ex-partner Blake Aldridge arrived apart, one after the other. Aldridge had unbelievably phoned his mum mid-competition then blamed a 14-year-old Daley in the post-competition analysis.

This time the two men both said: ‘We are a team. We win together and lose together. Full stop.’ Daley, 18, added: ‘Gutted. So sorry everyone but we tried our best.

‘Our first two dives were the best of the competition and then the third dive was one of our best as well, so after three dives we were on the highest score we’ve ever got.

‘But then on the fourth dive we missed and in this level and in this field you can’t afford to miss any dives.

‘The
home crowd did really lift us after that dive – but if we had got nine
points more on our reverse three-and-a-half, which normally we would do,
then we would have been on that podium.’

Full support: Fans in Plymouth cheer on Daley and Waterfield

Waterfield added: ‘It’s the worst place to finish at the Olympics. I would have rather finished last.’

Daley met defeat with exemplary good grace – unlike a Twitter troll who tweeted that he had let down his late father, Rob. I heard Tom deliver the eulogy at the funeral 15 months ago. There was no public sobbing, just a well-measured speech of affection that stopped short of mawkishness.

If you experience a terrible setback like that, losing the man who was your biggest supporter and jokingly referred to himself as taxi driver dad, sport finds its rightful place. It is not life and death.

The hope now is that Tom can spring one of the shocks of the Games by beating the world’s greatest diver, Qiu Bo, in the individual 10 metres platform on Saturday week.

The great American writer Norman Mailer once said of Muhammad Ali: ‘What is genius but balance on the edge of the impossible’ It is with that thought we wonder if young Tom can deliver the final, perfect tribute to his dad.

Amy Williams has announced her retirement from skeleton with immediate effect, bringing an end to a career which famously culminated in a Winter Olympic gold medal in Vancouver in 2010.

The 29-year-old Williams said it took guts and bravery' to reach her decision not to pursue a second gold in Sochi in two years' time, after two post-Games seasons badly hit by injuries.

Williams became Great Britain's first individual female gold medallist at a Winter Games in 58 years when she produced four near flawless runs on the Whistler track to triumph by over half a second.

Gold standard: Williamswas Britain's only medallist at the Vancouver Games

It was a victory given added poignancy by the death of the Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on the same track less than two weeks earlier. While others hesitated, Williams stormed through to victory.

Williams said: 'My injuries have been causing me a lot of pain and I ruptured my knee a week ago. It has got to the point where it is not really much fun any more.

'I told myself after Vancouver that I would have a little break then get back on the ice and compete again, because there is still nothing I love more than getting on my sled and going down the track.

'I'm still convinced I could have gone to Sochi and won another medal, but it would take an awful lot of sacrifices and it has just come to the point where my body is screaming at me to stop.

'It is easy for an athlete to stay in their comfort zone, but it takes a bit of guts and bravery to step outside it and find another challenge in life. I am happy and content with what I have achieved in my sport.'

Back seat: Williams says she has stepped aside to allow the next generation through to shine

The visitors responded through Ryan
Lowe, who stabbed wide from close range before drawing a sharp parry
from Matt Gilks in the Blackpool goal. Gilks bettered his previous
effort to thwart a curling Lowe effort that was destined for the top
corner in the 23rd minute.

Shortly after the half hour,
Blackpool were back on the front foot and Kevin Phillips arched an
effort inches wide after cleverly engineering space.

Southern's return almost turned sour
when a header back towards his own goal fell short to present Clinton
Morrison with an opportunity, but Gilks was again equal to the task.

Bhoy for life: Brown happy in paradise and insists he was always going to sign

Committed: Celtic”s Scott Brown (right)

Scott Brown insisted that he would happily finish his career as the captain of Celtic.

Speakingfor the first time since signing a new, extended contract late on Friday night, the 26-year-old proclaimed himself happy with life in Glasgow and claimed he was never tempted by the lure of a move to England.

Free to talk to other clubs last Thursday, months of speculation linked the Scotland star to Tottenham and Newcastle.

Brown believes he can fulfil all hisambitions at the club, saying: “I could quite happily stay here for therest of my career. It”s a great place to be. There”s a great bunch of lads as well.

“I don”t see that as not being ambitious because I didn”t go down the road.

“Give us six months and we can play against any one of those teams down in England and give them a great game.

“If you look at the squad, they are all quite young.

“There”s been a lot of interest in the players. I know we have about five, six, even seven midfielders and Iknow there are clubs in England who would happily take three or four ofthem. It shows you teams want our players because of how good we are and how good the gaffer is at finding these players.”

Brown”s deal was delayed by a glitch over the agent”s fee and the inability of all parties to find a mutuallyconvenient date for talks.

Staying put: Brown says he was not tempted by a move to England

Reported to have signed a deal worth 1.25million-a year, Brown denied that the hold-up ever concerned his own demands.

He said: “Money is not always my biggest option. I like to play football, not being in a comfort zone. It”s all about me wanting to improve as a player and win more stuff.”

Celtic, meanwhile, will now learn on Friday if UEFA are to punish them for “illicit singing” by fans in the recent Europa League clash with Rennes.